Electricity from Sunlight


Book Description

Praised for its visual appeal, conversational style and clear explanation of complex ideas with minimal mathematics, Electricity from Sunlight has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect advances in the global PV market, economics and installed capacity. Key features of the 2nd edition include: A timely update of the advances of photovoltaics (PV), with major new material on grid-connected systems. More in-depth treatment of PV scientific principles, solar cells, modules, and systems. Up-to-date coverage of the PV market including conversion efficiencies and the expansion of grid-friendly power plants. End-of-chapter problems with solutions manual available to instructors via companion website. Additional end-of-chapter questions and answers to support students through guided self-study. New chapters on manufacturing processes and on materials and other resources availability. New large-scale PV section covering the growth of global capacity, utility-scale PV and affordable solutions for intermittency. Systems analysis of new applications empowered by low-cost PV, such as energy storage and water desalination. Significantly expanded economics and environmental section explaining leveled cost of electricity versus upfront costs, energy return on investments, and lifecycle analysis. Electricity from Sunlight: Photovoltaics Systems Integration and Sustainability, Second Edition is an essential primer for new entrants to the PV industry, needing a basic appreciation of complete PV systems, and to students on undergraduate and graduate courses on renewable energy and photovoltaics. It also offers a unique treatise of the sustainability of emerging transformative technologies, which makes it useful to both system analysts and energy policy strategists. Co-author, Vasilis Fthenakis, is Recipient of the 2018 William R. Cherry Award The Cherry Award recognizes an individual engineer or scientist who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the science and technology of photovoltaic energy conversion, with dissemination by substantial publications and presentations. Fthenakis was honored for his pioneering research at the interface of energy and the environment that catalyzed photovoltaic technology advancement and deployment world-wide.




Electricity from Sunlight


Book Description

A lively and authoritative account of today’s photovoltaic (PV) technology and its practical applications This book covers areas including: a brief history of PV, and the current international scene; the scientific principles of solar cells including silicon and new thin-film varieties; PV modules and arrays; grid-connected PV, from home systems up to large power plants; the wide diversity of stand-alone PV systems, and; the economic and environmental aspects of solar electricity. Key equations and numerical examples are fully discussed, providing essential theoretical background. The text is supported by copious illustrations and more than eighty inspiring full colour photographs from around the world to demonstrate PV’s huge range of practical applications. This book is aimed at a wide readership including professionals working in related areas, and students taking introductory courses in PV and renewable energy. Its style and level will also appeal to energy planners and decision makers, members of environmental organisations, and the increasing number of people interested in generating their own electricity from sunlight.




From Sunlight to Electricity


Book Description

The third edition of From Sunlight to Electricity: a practical handbook on solar photovoltaic application brings in the latest information about photovoltaic sector in India, designs and applications of specific devices and related benefits, finance, and policies. This edition of the book gives readers an understanding of the photovoltaic technology programme in India, the issues therein, and its future directions. The information has been presented in a format that is easy to understand and apply. In this third edition, the author has included topics such as "global development in PV system", "installation and maintenance of PV systems", and "application of PV systems for other households".




Solar Power Generation


Book Description

Solar Power Generation is a concise, up-to-date, and readable guide providing an introduction to the leading renewable power generation technology. It includes detailed descriptions of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal generation systems, and demystifies the relevant solar energy technology functions in practice while also exploring economic and environmental risk factors. Engineers, managers, policymakers, and those involved in planning and delivering energy resources will find this reference a valuable guide to help establish a reliable power supply to address social and economic objectives. Focuses on the evolution and developments in solar energy generation Evaluates the economic and environmental viability of the systems with concise diagrams and accessible explanations Demystifies the relevant solar energy technology functions in practice Explores economic and environmental risk factors




Third Generation Photovoltaics


Book Description

Photovoltaics, the direct conversion of sunlight to electricity, is now the fastest growing technology for electricity generation. Present "first generation" products use the same silicon wafers as in microelectronics. "Second generation" thin-films, now entering the market, have the potential to greatly improve the economics by eliminating material costs. Martin Green, one of the world’s foremost photovoltaic researchers, argues in this book that "second generation" photovoltaics will eventually reach its own material cost constraints, engendering a "third generation" of high performance thin-films. The book explores, self-consistently, the energy conversion potential of advanced approaches for improving photovoltaic performance and outlines possible implementation paths.




Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion


Book Description

Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion - Technologies, Applications and Environmental Impacts features comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge on the photovoltaic solar energy conversion technology and describes its different aspects in the context of most recent scientific and technological advances. It also provides an insight into future developments in this field by covering four distinct topics include "PV Cells and Modules", "Applications of PV Systems", "Life Cycle and Environmental Impacts" and "PV Market and Policies". An up-to-date reference book on the advances of photovoltaic solar energy conversion technology Describes different aspects of PV and PVT technologies in a comprehensive way Provides information on design, development, and monitoring of PV systems Covers applications of PV and PVT systems in the urban, industry, and agriculture sectors Features new concepts, environmental impacts, market and policies of the PV technology




Taming the Sun


Book Description

How solar could spark a clean-energy transition through transformative innovation—creative financing, revolutionary technologies, and flexible energy systems. Solar energy, once a niche application for a limited market, has become the cheapest and fastest-growing power source on earth. What's more, its potential is nearly limitless—every hour the sun beams down more energy than the world uses in a year. But in Taming the Sun, energy expert Varun Sivaram warns that the world is not yet equipped to harness erratic sunshine to meet most of its energy needs. And if solar's current surge peters out, prospects for replacing fossil fuels and averting catastrophic climate change will dim. Innovation can brighten those prospects, Sivaram explains, drawing on firsthand experience and original research spanning science, business, and government. Financial innovation is already enticing deep-pocketed investors to fund solar projects around the world, from the sunniest deserts to the poorest villages. Technological innovation could replace today's solar panels with coatings as cheap as paint and employ artificial photosynthesis to store intermittent sunshine as convenient fuels. And systemic innovation could add flexibility to the world's power grids and other energy systems so they can dependably channel the sun's unreliable energy. Unleashing all this innovation will require visionary public policy: funding researchers developing next-generation solar technologies, refashioning energy systems and economic markets, and putting together a diverse clean energy portfolio. Although solar can't power the planet by itself, it can be the centerpiece of a global clean energy revolution. A Council on Foreign Relations Book




Solar Energy


Book Description

This book provides a broad overview on the different aspects of solar energy, with a focus on photovoltaics, which is the technology that allows light energy to be converted into electric energy. Renewable energy sources have become increasingly popular in recent years, and solar is one of the most adaptable and attractive types – from solar farms to support the National Grid to roof panels/tiles used for solar thermal heating systems, and small solar garden lights. Written by Delft University researchers, Solar Energy uniquely covers both the physics of photovoltaic (PV) cells and the design of PV systems for real-life applications, from a concise history of solar cells components and location issues of current systems. The book is designed to make this complicated subject accessible to all, and is packed with fascinating graphs and charts, as well as useful exercises to cement the topics covered in each chapter. Solar Energy outlines the fundamental principles of semiconductor solar cells, as well as PV technology: crystalline silicon solar cells, thin-film cells, PV modules, and third-generation concepts. There is also background on PV systems, from simple stand-alone to complex systems connected to the grid. This is an invaluable reference for physics students, researchers, industrial engineers and designers working in solar energy generation, as well those with a general interest in renewable energy.




Making the Sun Work for You


Book Description




The Nuclear Energy Option


Book Description